Despite assurances earlier this week that Tulane leading
scorer Lou Dabney was 100 percent healthy from a back injury in the Conference
USA tournament last week, Dabney did not play in the Green Wave's College
Basketball Invitational game against Princeton on Wednesday and the Tigers
never trailed, surging to 56-55 victory in Devlin Fieldhouse.

The loss bounces the Green Wave from the postseason and
leaves Tulane with a 17-17 overall mark for the season. Princeton (21-8)
advances to the second round of the tournament to face either UTEP or Fresno
State.

The final score seemed more interesting than the game was.
Tulane never led and got close late thanks to some long 3-pointers by freshman guard Jonathan Stark.

Stark hit a fadeaway 3-pointer from way behind the arc to
cut Princeton lead to 52-46 with 2:57 to go.

Princeton's Hans Brase turned an almost lost possession into
a dunk for the Tigers on the other end, but T.J. Bray fouled Jay Hook on the
other end after Hook made a shot in the lane. After the old-fashioned 3-point
play, Tulane cut the lead to 54-49 with 1:16 left.

The Tigers couldn't score on the next possession, but
neither could Tulane. Stark missed a 3-point try and Princeton rebounded,
triggering the desperation foul-and-stall game with less than a minute to go.

Bray hit two free throws with 31.7 second remaining for the
56-49 lead.

That seemed like a comfortable margin – until Stark hit two
3-pointers from that point on.

Stark's final one swished as the buzzer expired on the Green
Wave's season. Stark finished with 20 points. Tre Drye scored 15 with eight
rebounds.

The other piece of good news is that guard Jay Hook made
some history Wednesday.

Hook hit two 3-pointers before halftime, the first of which
moved him into sole possession of first place in Tulane history in most
3-pointers made in a single season. Hook was tied at 81 with Jordan Callahan.
But Hook swished a trey with 14:54 to go in the first half did the trick.

In the first half, Princeton had more manpower down low but
couldn't turn that into a substantial advantage on the scoreboard. The Tigers
led at halftime 29-23 and outscored Tulane 16-10 in the paint.

The Green Wave committed 11 turnovers and had just three
assists.

Meanwhile, Princeton dished out eight assists (eight
turnovers) and First-Ivy Teamer T.J. Bray had six of that tally. He scored only
four points but the Tigers were leaning on forward Hans Brase, who led the
Tigers with 10 first-half points.

Brase was 4-for-6 from the floor in the opening period.

Jay Hook, Tre Drye and Jonathan Stark carried the offensive
load for Tulane in the first half. The trio had six points each to lead Tulane
in the first half. Hook hit two 3-pointers before halftime, the first of which
moved him into sole possession of first place in Tulane history in most
3-pointers made in a single season. Hook was tied at 81 with Jordan Callahan.
But Hook swished a trey with 14:54 to go in the first half did the trick.

Bray fed Clay Wilson for a 3-pointer with 14:26 to go to
give the Tigers their first double-digit lead of the game at 38-28.

Princeton excelled and turning a bad Tulane offensive
possession into points on the other end. Pete Miller, a 6-foot-10 Princeton
post player, stuffed Stark's lay-up attempt with 13:16 to go.

On the other end, Wilson finished. He hit an incredible,
coffin corner 3-pointer as the Princeton shot clock wound down to nothing. The Trey gave the Tigers 41-30 advantage.

Bray led all with nine assists and scored 12. Hans Brase led
the Tigers with 16 points and Wilson rounded out the Tigers double-figures
scorers with 11.